-....the little children...let them come to me....For to Such Belong The Kingdom of Heaven.
Tonight Marian Wright Edelman at the Old Historic I Street Synagogue in DC movingly read a letter she wrote recently to Martin Luther King, Jr. on the occassion of the 40 years since his death.
She reminded those of us from generation next that the traces of progress for humanity in society that we take for granted today didn't happen by accident; they happened with determined committed hard diligent efforts of people committed to the truth and rightness of the things they fought so hard for -- and these people are still as committed and they are not done.
There are things that we take for granted now rendering the past something of an HBO special or foggy film blow backs for MLK day celebrations. We take for granted now that it is possible we are in a "post-racial" emerging culture, that it is normal that the person sitting in the seat next to you in school is just as likely as not to not be your same race-and who cares what anyone's race is. We take for granted that there are programs that fight poverty like an ability to get food "stamps" or debit cards in social programs when one is without any income support (and pregnant) and hungry, or that there is assistance for things like nutritional school lunches for poor kids. We take for granted benefits for women with children who have no income, and the fact that we have social security disability options, Medicare and Medicaid. There was a time in America not long ago when we had none of this. Can you imagine?
None of this came by accident. It came because people fought for it. It came because people came together and decided there were situations that were just intolerably cruel in civilized caring societies.
After these programs were put into place, somehow the rich still got richer and the country still prospered. The economy grew and everyone benefited from the social cost savings of taking care of everyone. We became partially a country where we were our brother's keeper--and it didn't hold anyone back by being more generous. The rising tide rose all boats, so long as the government didn't tether them to the dock. And the playing field was tilted a bit more even Stephen- but it still isn't completely level.
In this country the Have More's and Have Nada's divide is greater than it has been in decades.
That naturally is going to translate into more despirate abortions- hello Bishop's Conference.
There are nine million children without health insurance and nine million of them don't never get sick. That is a budgetary strain on a family that factors into people's decisions to have more kids or not. Hello Bishop's Conference.
There are NINE MILLION CHILDREN without health insurance. There are 1.1 Million abortions a year. You do the math. A good portion of those 1.1 Million children had brothers and sisters who were part of the Nine Million who had no health insurance. Do you think we can make having and raising children less of a bankruptcy threatening enterprise?
Health care is not a trip to Chuckie Cheese. Health Care can be bankruptingly expensive for many people- many people of child bearing age. Hello Bishop's Conference.
Marian Wright Edelman reminds us that the job is not done.
There is no rational or defensible justification any longer that any child in America should not have health insurance- it is a social responsibility as a nation we have to shoulder. We cannot make the burden of excessive costs of health care on any family reason why anyone would not want more children--especially if they find themselves already pregnant.
Jobs, Education, Health Care- these are all as a matter of basic common sense within the economies of families factors that need addressing in a rational responsible anti-abortion policy platform. Hello Bishop's Conference.
It is as unethical to deny a woman the real ability to choose right as it is to choose wrongly.
There is little moral difference between an economically coerced abortion depriving one of the meaningful ability to make a good choice and dragging a girl to the butcher.
Anti-Abortion policy cannot be just another unfunded mandate with a threat factor.
It has to enable the goal.
Health Insurance for NINE MILLION CHILDREN is a start- and a very necessary one.
NO RNC MEMBER, NO REPUBLICAN CONGRESSPERSON, NO REPUBLICAN SENATOR AND NO AMERICAN WORTH HIS VOTE SHOULD STOP HEALTH CARE FOR NINE MILLION AMERICAN CHILDREN.
And if the Democrats don't forward the bill- some Anti-Abortion Republican should write and pass it now.
Talk is Cheap.
Health Care is Not.
It is family prohibitive in some cases- maybe even 1.1 Million cases.
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